Political Dig

Russian Politician Admits On Live TV That ‘Russia Stole U.S. Presidency’

Russian politician Vyacheslav Nikonov said Sunday evening that U.S. intelligence missed it when “Russian intelligence stole the 2016 presidential election,” to make Trump President of the United States.

Nikonov, a member of the Russian parliamentary body, made the remarks on a Russian panel show, “Sunday Evening with Vladimir Solovyov.” The episode centered on the U.S.’ diminishing power on the world stage and the resulting chaos, The Hill reports.

University of Virginia professor Allen Lynch told The Hill that Nikonov’s statement was directed at the idea that the U.S. must be losing power if it can’t uphold the integrity of its own electoral system.

“His point in making the remark was that if the U.S. can’t protect the integrity of its own electoral system, then how powerful can it really be?” Lynch said.

Though the U.S. intelligence community has unequivocally stated that Russian intelligence agencies hacked the Democratic National Committee and other political targets during the 2016 presidential campaign, Both Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have denied the claim.

Donald Trump’s connection to the Russia election interference is currently under investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.